City of Cambridge

The City of Cambridge is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country. Situated on the banks of the Grand and Speed Rivers, Cambridge is a modern and inclusive city with a rich architectural heritage. Economic diversity, natural beauty and vibrant culture have helped to make Cambridge a dynamic community within Waterloo Region.

With a strong multicultural community and a strong foundation of support services, Cambridge has a robust economic base with leading industries in advanced manufacturing, automotive, technology, pharmaceutical, professional and financial services, hospitality/retail, and many thriving small businesses. 

Currently, the City is planning to design and build three new recreation facilities:

1. Preston Auditorium Expansion – Estimated Completion 2023
2. Fountain Street Soccer Complex – Estimated Completion 2023
3. Recreation Complex – Estimated Completion 2025

In pursuing new and creative opportunities to generate revenue sources beyond those raised through property taxes, user fees and charges, the City of Cambridge was seeking a professional services provider to provide a new sponsorship and advertising strategy for all city assets. 

Some key steps for the implementation of this successful engagement included research and benchmarking which started with a complete comprehensive audit of internal opportunities for sponsorship and fundraising. It also saw the creation of an inter-departmental working group which included all City department representatives who had active or previous sponsorship, fundraising, partnership and advertising roles to help identify potential donor prospects. Interkom also provided a comprehensive review of best practices of other municipalities of similar size, amenities, demographics and business to gather insights. The project included the development and presentation to Council of new policies that safeguard corporate values, images, assets, and interests while increasing opportunities for revenue generation. Finally, the project also included a Campaign Communications Plan and the development of key components of a marketing program along with components to include in marketing publications and other key components of a customer facing web page(s) for marketing purposes. Council unanimously approved the new policies and sponsorship and advertising strategy. It provided staff with approval to start implementing the plan in 2022 and beyond with a goal of raising ten million dollars from the $100 million dollar investment in three new recreation facilities.